A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Roger Chadwick of Warmhole in Spotland held 

 43 acres in Castleton in 1626.* 



Among the estates may be named Goose Lane, 

 Hartley, and Crossfield. 41 In 1626 there was some 

 copyhold land in Castleton hamlet. 



In addition to the places of worship named in the 

 account of Rochdale, the following have in recent 

 times been erected in Castleton : For the Church 

 of England, St. Martin's, Castleton Moor, 1 862," and 

 All Souls, 1899, the Bishop of Manchester collating 

 to each ; for the Wesleyans, United Free Methodists, 

 and Congregationalists, 43 one each. 



SPOTLAND 



Spotland, 1276 ; Spotlond, 1292 ; variants are 

 Spotlaunde, Stoplond, 1292. 



Wolstonesholm, 1276. 



Whiteworth, 1330. 



This township occupies the north-west part of the 

 parish, and has a total area of 14,174 acres. Its 

 name is allied to Spodden, a valley running from 

 north to south of it, down which flows a tributary, 

 the Spodden Brook, to join the Roch on the western 

 side of Rochdale. To the east and north-west of 

 this valley the surface rises to 1,500 ft.; the northern 

 end of the township, called Brandwood, occupies the 

 slope down to the Irwell, which forms the principal 

 boundary in that direction. The hamlets of this 

 township were : Catley Lane, 2,701^ acres ; Wood- 

 house Lane, 262 ; Chadwick, 717 ; Clay Lane, 90^ ; 

 Wolstenholme and Cheesden, 2,262^ ; Falinge, 278 ; 

 Healey, 853 ; Whitworth, Higher End, 1,247 ; and 

 Lower End, 2,894^- ; Brandwood, Higher End, 

 1,574 an d Lower End, 1,294. 



Two principal roads spread out from Rochdale. 

 One goes northward up the Spodden, through Broad- 

 ley, Healey, Whitworth, Facit, and Shawforth, to 

 Bacup ; it is lined with houses and factories almost 

 all the way. The other goes west through Norden, 

 Wolstenholme, and Cheesden to Edenfield, where it 

 joins the road from Bury to Burnley. Between these 

 another road crosses Rooley Moor and Brandwood 



Moor to reach Newchurch in Rossendale. The 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway runs 

 north from Rochdale to Bacup, with stations named 

 Facit, Shawforth, and Britannia. 



The 'Whitworth doctors,' famous in the latter 

 part of the 1 8th century and much of the igth, began 

 with the two brothers John and George Taylor ; the 

 last of the line died in I876. 1 



A curious 1 8th-century charm was found at Healey 

 in 1876.* 



Part of Spotland was taken into the borough of 

 Rochdale on its formation, and additional portions 

 have been incorporated since. Brandwood has been 

 added to Bacup. The remainder of the ancient town- 

 ship is included in the modern districts of Norden 

 and Whitworth. The local board of Norden, a place 

 whose old name was Blackpits, was formed in 1878 ; it 

 became a township in 1 894. There are twelve members 

 in the urban district council, each of the four wards 

 Catley Lane, Chadwick, Wolstenholme, and Wood- 

 house Lane returning three. For Whitworth a local 

 board was formed in 1874 ; s this area also became a 

 township in 1894, and the urban district council has 

 twelve members, returned by four wards Facit, 

 Healey, Shawforth, and Whitworth. 



The stocks at Whitworth were formerly within the 

 chapel yard. 



The ' Manstone,' on Monston Edge between 

 Healey and Wardle, has the popular explanation that 

 it was thrown by Robin Hood 

 from Blackstone Edge. 



The principal 



M4NOR landowners in 

 Spotland were the 

 Abbot and convent of Whalley, 

 their lands having been acquired 

 through a large number of dif- 

 ferent gifts ; * and after the con- 

 fiscation the Holts of Gristle- 

 hurst purchased the manor of WHALLKYABBIY. 

 SPOTL4NDS The Holts of G . u!ei { f hree hales \ au ~ 



_ , , . . . , riant from the mouth of 



Stubleyalso claimed a manor eac h the head of 

 there ; it was called the manor issuant or. 



40 Manor Surv. 6. 



Elizabeth widow of Robert Chadwick 

 died in 1561 holding a messuage, &c., in 

 Castleton belonging to her husband, held 

 of the queen in chief by knight's service. 

 James Chadwick, brother of Robert, was 

 heir, and sixty years of age ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 9. 



James Chadwick in 1564 purchased a 

 messuage in Castleton from Charles Holt; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 239. 

 William Chadwick, as lessee of Katherine 

 Colling, widow, had in 1568 a dispute 

 with Otwell Colling (son of Katherine) 

 and Joan his wife, respecting the Green 

 Marled Earth in Castleton ; Ducatus 

 Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 361. Robert 

 Colling about 1540 was the tenant of 

 Bartles in Castleton ; several Chadwicks 

 were also tenants ; Wballey Coucber, iv, 

 1230. 



41 See Fishwick, Rochdale, 321 

 Walmsley of Goose Lane ; 326 Heape 

 of Hartley ; and 329 Vavasour of Cross- 

 field. 



48 The district was formed in 1863 ; 

 Land. Gaz. 1 3 Jan. Dr. Molesworth, vicar 

 of Rochdale, is buried here. 



48 The Congregational Church at Castle- 

 ton, formerly Blue Pits, originated in 



1866 ; a school chapel was built in 1870 ; 

 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 253. 



1 Fishwick, Rochdale, 85 5 Pal. Note- 

 bk. ii, 59 ; Oldham Notes and Gleanings, 

 i, 1 60. 



8 Fishwick, op. cit. 534, with facsimile. 



8 Land. Gam. 14 Aug. 1874. 



4 See Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), iii, 

 637-800; i, 153, &c. Adam son of 

 William de Eccles gave to Geoffrey son 

 of Geoffrey the Dean 4 oxgangs in Spot- 

 land held of Hugh de Eland by a rent of 

 4*. ; ibid, iii, 744, 746. Henry son of 

 Geoffrey de Whalley afterwards released 

 to Stanlaw Abbey all his right in the 

 4 oxgangs, being a fourth part of the vill 

 of Spotland ; the under-tenants were 

 Henry de Spotland, 2; Hugh de Thel- 

 wall, I ; and Michael son of Robert the 

 Reeve, I ; ibid, iii, 747. Robert son of 

 Essolt (or Astulf) de Asterleys, who had 

 previously surrendered his claim to Geof- 

 frey and Henry de Whalley, then released 

 it to the monks ; ibid, iii, 745, 748. 

 Hugh son of William de Thelwall after- 

 wards gave his oxgang and land in Fernylea 

 to the monks at a rent of 1 9 J</., and sub- 

 sequently released this rent ; ibid, iii, 750, 

 751. Michael son of Robert also resigned 

 his oxgang ; ibid, iii, 742. 



2O6 



5 The grant by Henry VIII to Thomas 

 Holt, made in 1542, included the manor 

 of Spotland with its appurtenances, Whit- 

 worth, Tong End, Rockliffe, and Brand- 

 wood ; a rent of 3 us. 4</. was to be 

 paid ; Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. 6. Sir 

 Thomas Holt died in 1562, holding the 

 manor of Spotland, with lands and rents 

 in Spotland, Hundersfield, Whitworth, 

 Tong End, Rockliffe, Greave Clough, 

 Tong, Brandwood, Facit, Long Acres, 

 Horsecroft, Hallstead, Swineshead, Wol- 

 stenholme, Naden, Hallowes, and Falinge ; 

 the greater part was held of the queen in 

 chief by the fourth part of a knight's fee, 

 but small portions were held of Charles 

 Holt of Stubley, a minor, John Wolsten- 

 holme, and Robert Savile ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 46. ' See also 

 Lanes, Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 8 1-6, iii, 371-8, where some 

 family settlements are recited ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, no. 25 (Theophilus 

 Holt, 1628) ; and the account of Gristle- 

 hurst in Middleton parish. The estates 

 were dispersed soon after the Restoration, 

 but a ' manor of Spotland ' is named as 

 late as 1718, when Robert Heywood and 

 John Starky were in possession ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 279, m. 86. From 



